Hi guys,
I'm new to these forums and have never owned a dog however my uncle who lives upstairs(my family and him share the house). Has a very nice white boxer and i have always wanted a dog of my own. I wanted a husky originally but was told most our high strung and can be pretty nippy and shed alot so i ruled them out. My second favorite dog would be a german sheperad( forgive my spelling) or a german shepard mix of some kind. However i;ve heard people say that they tend to get loyal to only one person and seeing as i have a little brother who probably wouldn;t be as intrested in the dog i would be scared of this happening, is that a myth or true? Also how do you socilize a dog? I know theres obidience school which i intend to bring my dog too but are there other things i should do to. Also does it matter if you buy one as a puppy or an adult? do females and males vary in any physical,mental or tempermental wise? Also id there such thing as giving your dog to much excerise i.e walking him/her everyday? How do you socialize a dog to otehr dogs and is it possible to get my cats to get along with this future pet? Which would i have to be more consierned about that cats being hurt by the dog or the dog being hurt by the cats? Also are pet stores a good choice to buy from or are there like dog expos where u can buy from special breeders? How can u tell if a dog has been poorely breed and may present problems in the future?
Sorry for all the questions but he/she will be my first dog and i want to mke sure i cover everything.
Thanks alot

thx alot. I'll have to find some books and do some heavy research and maybe by next year I will be ready( were hopefully moving next summer up north where will have am much bigger property which i'm sure he would enjoy.)Also how do you find dog breeders?( i currently keep reptiles and know for fiding a reptile breeder there a re magazines you can look up good breeders in and we have reptile expos where good breeders usually go, are their ever similar things for dogs?)
Thx alot again
Nikki

I'm just looking for a friend not very big on people no offense to anyone just to many bad experinces in the past and i trust dogs alot more. So just a nice laid back dog that my whole family can enjoy and appricate. The better the temperment great and also would be intrested in training him how to track different things ( not for shows or anything just thought it be sorta fun to try as i go out into the woods alot in search of reptiles alot and i met one person who trained there dog to actually smell out snakes but not hurt them so it would be easyer to find specimens to photograph.)
Thx again
NIkki

Opps sorry should of watched my wording more by laid back i ment more along the lines of a dog that won;t bite lol sorry i'm so used to snake termonolgy lol. A hyper dog that needs alot fo attention is perfect and is what i am looking for. Meaning i deffently have a ton of spare time and would love to spend every single moment with the dog.

As for age i think i will be going with a puppy just because i think its neat to watch an animal grow up and i personally think longer lasting friendships are created that way. I will deffently be looking in rescue programs too for a source of dog along with breeders. i have also decided to go with a male and still not to sure on a name.

Out of curiosity would you recomend any pitpicular books that have good info on gsd'd( i think that was the short form for them lol)
oh ya sorry one more thing is there any thing i should be looking for in a obidience class? During obidence class do you have to do anything to the dog that might be hurtful to it emotinally? Oh ya and when you buy a dog from a breeder is he/she already neutered oh is that the owners job? Also how much does it cost to get i tdone( just so i know how much i should be putting aside?) and is humane society the best place to get it done or is a vet better?

Oh ya what kind of accerisories should i be getting for my dog? I'm already planning on getting him a doggie bed, a custom built outdoor dog house in the back yard( it will be properly insuilated and will be half way underground to stimulate a natural sort of den.) Also gonna stock up on tons of toys. Anything else i should be looking into?

one last thing do gsd's enjoy swimming as we go to our cottage alot and I know my cousins golden retriver likes swimming and seems to have alot of fun so would he possibly be intrested like how would i tell? ALso do i need to teach him how to swim or is it an instinctive thing?

You've been such a great help
thank you so much
sorry for all the questions
Sincerly
Nikki

I also noted you are planning to build a dog house, is that so the dog has some place to go for shelter when outdoors, and will he be kept primarily outdoors? GSD's are lousy outdoor dogs, remember their velcro dogs and want to be with their families at all times.

Yes, the dog house or den will only be used for a shelter when he's outside. he will have full access to the house ecept my mom's room. I'm thinking of making a few around the yard so he can have choice of the place he likes the best, I'll just have to moniter and make sure no wild animals decide to make it there home.

[QUOTE=Serena] I'm guessing you already know of the basics you need, collar, leash, bowls, brushes, nail clippers, etc..Additional items are your choice, actually you will find yourself going crazy one day, and returning from the petshop with your fiance's credit card having a $435 bill for pet toys and things "the kids had to have"...wait that was me. LOL, but seriously I'm the wrong person to ask on what accessories to get, I tend to buy everything I like for my pets....asking me what to buy can lead you with a huge dent in your wallet. If your anything like me, it won't be a question of "does my pet need this" but rather it will the statement, "Oh I know my pet will like this".
[/QOUTE]

LOL yes I'm horrible when it comes to buying toys or accesories i think they would like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serena

I personally prefer positive training so the first thing I would recommend finding is a trainer that uses positive reinforcement, if you have not looked into it, clicker training is something I highly suggest. If you have to do anything in a class that will hurt the dog, or even suspect the dog will be hurt physically or emotionally, walk out. Remember for a GSD to obey you, it must respect you. The GSD cannot be forced or demanded to respect someone, respect is earned. Try to force a GSD into respecting you and it will challenge and test you every step of the way. Before joining an obedience class, sit in on a session and see how things run.

I also have to agree with you there 100% about people trying to demande or controll there pets. It's ridiculous their just as smart as us and a lot kinder in my opinion and i hate how people fail to relise this. Thanks alot for the info about the classes. Postive reinforcement sounds like the only way I would ever considered teaching him. I'm not sure on how many programs around (I'd imagine they'd mostly be during the summmer so I'll call around and be ready for spring.)

Just have to say how happy I am i found this site and met you once Razaari comes home next summer( i know soo far away but have to move first) I'll post some pics because without you I deffently wouldn't be accuring a new friend.
Thx alot again
Nikki:)

Actually I've done a bit more research on the breed and have come across something that troubles me...

Is it true the only way to correct an animal trying to become the dominate is to be forceful using shock collers or scream and hit him? And is it true that males usually tend to show this more than females? if so then would I be better of getting a female dog as I would never ever consider using a shock coller or anything else so cruel. I know when to be firm to get my point across to him but I would never use something cruel.

Has this ever happened to you? Where one of your dogs have tried to become the dominet in your "pack"? If so what did you do to correct the situation. If it hasn't do u know any other things I could do that would be less cruel. I know obidence school is a big step in preventing this from happening but I still want to know just in case it ever showed up.

Also I really would love to stick with a male just because in my past I have found male dogs much more friendly i know its all about how you bring them up but I really just want to get a male. But if dominice is an issue that i may have to deal with than maybe I will get a female.

I've heard that sometimes when one person spends more time with the dog than others the dog thinks it should be further up in the pack than say your family members and thus challeneg them by barking and even bitting?

Do you or anyone else on this forum have any suggestions about this issue and maybe had some experince in the issue?

Males are generally more confident, thus usually being a bit more dominant. I'm not saying that ALL males are dominant, but the majority of the male dogs I've met are more dominant than the females. (Take the pups in Dakota's litter for example.. ALL the females squint their eyes and wiggle submissively when you pet them, while the males stare right at a new friend and wag their tail confidently, instead of squirming and licking.
A male will usually have 'adolescent blues', where the period between 4 and 12 months will be VERY challenging. All 4 of our males went through that. Our females remained more stable thorughout that period, but they went through MUCH more intense fear periods than the males did and they were generally not as boisterous as the males.

Also.. I just have to say this because I am so TIRED of hearing people say that e-collars and prong collars are cruel.

Electronic collars, in the hands of an experienced trainer, are not cruel at all. The trouble with them is that they are very commonly misused, and they CAN hurt a dog if used improperly. But, if you think about it, so can ANY collar. You just have to know how to use it. (I've used one twice, and both times it was after recieving instruction from an experienced trainer AND before I even tried it on the dog, I tested it on my own neck. )

I've never had a female GSD; mine have all been males with nary a problem. They understand you and want to be treated with respect and consideration for their intelligence.

Grace is right about that adolescent period! GSD males go through a stage where you wonder if you haven't ended up with the dumbest dog ever to stumble across the earth. It passes, and it's worth the wait. You have the most wonderful companion you can ever imagine.

I'm going to put my two-cents worth in and ask that you consider a GSD rescue. Most are extremely careful to make sure you are matched to a dog with the habits and temperament that complement your life. It's a wonderful way to start a life-long love of the German Shepherd.

I will warn you, once you've lived with a German Shepherd, your life will never feel complete without one at your side.